Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-06-25
EMELINE'S SCHOOL.

She was the dullest scholar who at
tended the school. The teacher said so.
The particular institution which sht
attended was little brick-rcd school
house in the Territory of Dakota. Per
haps there is more than one such educa
tlonal editice in the Territory of Dakota
but / can't be more definite because thai
is about all I know concerning it myself
Hername was Emeline Fancher, usual
ly called En- Fanchcr, or sometime.
Emma Fancher, or perhaps more fire.
quently "old Fancher's gar' and it wa.
agreed by all that she never would know
anything-not about her books-and the
teacher was quite positive that that was
all there was to learn in this world
Of course she learned other things
readily enough and she could learn heI
lessons as well if she wanted to, but she
didn't want to-only on very rare occa.
sions. II was said that she was famous
to help her mother at home, and that she
was somewhat better than her brothers in
helping her father outdoors and that
when it came TO going after the cows on
horseback or setting trap which would
invariably catch a muskrat, or otheI
things of this nature, that she was en-
thusiastic and successful, but it didn't
raise her much in the eyes of the com.
munity.'
She was always shockingly familiar
with the teacher, prim maiden lady
who had been district school teacher
all her life and considered perfecting the
multiplication table the highest achieve
ment of man.
During the noon hour this wayward
scholar would sometimes take her seat on
top desk near the teachers corner
and sit and swing her feet and ply heI
prim instructor with questions concern
ing the manners and customs and scenery
and natural products of different parts
of the country, and volunteer a bewil-
deringSamount of information concerning
the habits of the muskrat and the Jack
rabbit and the prospect for a good cron,
and her latest adventure while bringing
home the cows on her favorite pony. She
would thus continue to shock Miss
Bacon, the prim instructor, till at last that
lady would be obliged to send her away
in self-defense.
So Emeline went along for couple of
years in the little brick-red schoolhouse.
Then she graduated. The exercises were
not elaborate--in fact they could not
have well been more simple She piled
up her books and taking them under her
arm went home.
To the astonished Miss Bacon, who
demanded an explanation of her sudden
departure, she said:
Give learned enough and l am going
to quit"
"What are you going to do at home 2"
"Help ma and pa, / reckon"
''But don't you know you are only
fifteen years of age and need to go to
school more ~
"Oh, | s'pose so-that's what you're
always telling me. But l guess I'll never
learn anything at school anyhow, so I'm
going to quit. Pa and ma don't care
and you'll never see me at school any
more, so good-by" She went out the
door, but turned and gave Miss Bacon
parting shock by adding: "Come down
to our house Saturday and well 90 a.
fishing in Dry Lake, know where there
are some splendid young frogs for bait"
But the worthy Miss Bacon could not
reply-the idea of her adjusting frog
on hook So she did not go Saturday
and did not see her late pupil In fact
two years passed and she only saw her
occasionally and then when going TO or
from school she encountered her dqshing
wildly along on her pony.
One day when perhaps a little more
than the time mentioned had elapsed,
Emma entered the school-house after
school had closed and as Miss Bacon was
preparing TO take her departure. She
was, in her own words, "full- -hedged
young lady now, 'and was certainly quite
prepossessing in appearance, Miss Bacon
thought, compared with when she ''gradu-
ated." She was not large, though per-
haps little taller than the average
young lady, and was as strong aud ac-